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Seeking Therapy After Years of Convincing Everyone That I'm "Fine".

At 23, mid pandemic and cultural revolution, I realized that one of the biggest things missing in my life was a therapist.

By Sam SanonPublished 4 years ago 3 min read
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This pandemic hit us all hard. But for us, the group of 20 somethings who are still looking for careers, living with our parents, working minimum wage jobs, and getting tattoos to heal our childhood trauma, COVID19 has brought many more struggles than a lack of social interaction and the closure of our favorite bars.

For many years, I was convinced that I didn't need therapy. I grew up in a lower-middle-class family with two incredibly supportive parents, a good relationship with my sibling, lots of close friends, and always did relatively well in school.

It wasn't until I graduated college and looked back on my past four years of school, my first relationship with a boyfriend, my staggered mental state, and my body image issues that I realized...shit, I need to see someone about all this.

Growing up with a close group of girlfriends and supportive parents, I always felt like they were the only therapists I needed. But your friends can only listen to you rant about your mentally abusive ex-boyfriend for so long before getting exhausted by your constant realization as to why you now have trust issues.

During this global pandemic, I've watched my mental health drop. From getting furloughed from my full-time job to making the desition to move back home with my parents after five years of living independently, I've found that avoiding the godforsaken online therapy has done nothing for me but leave me wondering if there is a way I can feel better and move on from my past while making mentally healthy moves for my future.

This realization is one that I think a lot of people my age should consider. When therapy started moving to an online format due to the shelter in place orders, many people felt like their sessions weren't going to be the same or contribute to their everyday lives as well as it did before. As a generation who was raised during the internet revolution of the early 2000s, I think it's just the opposite. As people who live their lives through social media, why wouldn't this be your number one option when it comes to seeking professional help? You could literally talk to a specialist while tweeting about The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills reunion from the other night, and no one would know! Not that I'm condoning that behavior..but I'm just pointing out that its a possibility!

Just because you don't come from a broken home, or have a bad relationship with your siblings, or haven't been in traumatic teenage relationships before, doesn't mean that you are someone who never needs to seek professional help. Especially as a black woman, I've been living in a world where I wasn't aware of the racial microaggressions that others expressed towards me until much later in my life. That right there should be the number one reason I need to put money aside to talk to someone who isn't my mom about my past.

Online Resources for Therapy:

  • TalkSpace: https://lp.talkspace.com/try/ct?utm_content=vwm4691206OnlineTherapy&siteID=Q.Sg3glZ_fs-FjcvJZJ8zwcmKsxZPhCSCw&ranMID=41986&ranEAID=Q*Sg3glZ%2Ffs&ranSiteID=Q.Sg3glZ_fs-FjcvJZJ8zwcmKsxZPhCSCw&LSNSUBSITE=LSNSUBSITE&utm_campaign=Affiliate_Linkshare&utm_keyword=3&utr_adgroup=3672320&utr_adid=37&utm_source=dotdash&utm_medium=affiliate
  • BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com/start/?go=true&transaction_id=1020256a02bb0fba74bb122f2ba1ee&utm_source=affiliate&utm_campaign=1510&utm_medium=Desktop&utm_content=&utm_term=&not_found=1&gor=start
  • Regain: https://www.regain.us/?transaction_id=10296287bd83134d4abe8d8b10c741&utm_source=affiliate&utm_campaign=About%2C+Inc.+dba+Dotdash&utm_medium=Desktop&utm_content=&utm_term=%5Baffiliate_source%5D&not_found=1&gor=home
  • Teen Counseling: https://www.teencounseling.com/parent_start/?transaction_id=1023f8a91eddacaac7a93128f67aaf&utm_source=affiliate&utm_campaign=About%2C+Inc.+dba+Dotdash&utm_medium=Desktop&utm_content=&utm_term=%7BSource%7D&not_found=1
  • Pride Counseling: https://www.pridecounseling.com/start/?transaction_id=10238c7579687229463f716915f1c7&utm_source=affiliate&utm_campaign=1510&utm_medium=Desktop&utm_content=&utm_term=%7BSource%7D&not_found=1&gor=start_go&go=true

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About the Creator

Sam Sanon

photographer // trash tv connoisseur // dyslexic bad bitch

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